meat

Hot dog

Generality

The hot dog is a sandwich (or sandwich) with an elongated shape, containing a sausage; the latter, heated by grilling or steaming, can be pork, chicken, beef or turkey, while bread is milk. Another important aspect is the cutting of the hot dog bread, which must be incomplete;

unlike the hamburger, in fact, the two parts of the bread remain united on what acts as a "support side" (or grip) of the sandwich; on the opposite side, where wurstel or other stuffing ingredients (onion, cheese, chili, relish, sauerkraut, etc.) are inserted, any accompanying sauces (ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, etc.) are spread.

Some famous hot dog variants include the fried corn dog, the pasta-wrapped pigs in blankets, and the chopped Beanie Weenies served with beans.

Originally imported into the USA from Germany, frankfurters are the characteristic ingredient of this preparation which, for over a century, has been the typical dish of the American working class. On the other hand, today VEGAN models of hot dogs are also available on the market, in which vegetable protein frankfurters and bread without milk are used.

The hot dog is such an important food for American food that at least two festivals are celebrated every year in its honor: Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest and Wienermobile . Nevertheless, along with the burger and fries, the hot dog is considered the founder of fast-food and "junk food".

Background

It is still not clear to whom the merit (if it can be defined) of the invention of the hot dog should be attributed. This is a preparation likely to be enriched and modified over time; therefore, the big differences between the first and contemporary sandwiches hinder the identification of a single discoverer.

There are no doubts about the origin of the sausage, which we know to be of European origin, more precisely German; it was not until 1870 that Charles Feltman (a German immigrant in the USA) started selling sausages on the street and 10 years later he was associated with bread. It seems that, originally, the accompaniment of the sandwich had the function of not burning and dirtying the hands or gloves of consumers.

The association of the term hot dog (hot dog) to the sandwich may have several reasons; it is not clear which is the most likely and in this regard it is assumed that the term hot dog: has an English etymological root in reference to an object, has been invented by a peddler as a marketing strategy, has been coined by a sports cartoonist or it is born casually due to the similarity of the sausage with the animal (imagine a dachshund enclosed between two slices of bread ...).

Nutritional aspects

As anticipated, the hot dog is one of the typical foods belonging to the fast food of overseas. Due to its scarcity in microelements and vitamins, and the caloric abundance as well as unhealthy molecules, the hot dog is notoriously considered a junk-food or junk food.

The richness in calories, saturated fatty acids and cholesterol of the hot dog is the most important negative characteristic of the food. These aspects make it absolutely unsuitable for the diet of the overweight and / or hypercholesterolemia subject.

The sausages are also rich in preservatives; among these: sodium chloride, sodium nitrite (E250) and vit. C (E315). While the latter is totally harmless to the body, nitrites are not without side effects in the gastric and intestinal mucosa. Furthermore, the abundance of sodium (brought about by salt and some additives) is a harmful factor for the onset and the development of arterial hypertension.

Many wonder how it is possible that the hot dog is abundant in mineral salts such as iron and calcium; in reality, this characteristic is anything but an indicator of good food quality. This happens with regard to the typical sausage production system, or the mechanical separation of the edible part. The automated process is not very precise and different parts that are otherwise poorly edible (ossicles, cartilages, tendons ...) contribute to the composition of the food. Everything is then standardized by a process similar to homogenization, followed by cooking

We also remember that the hot dog is a substantially "processed" food without any raw ingredients. This involves a shortage of water, dietary fiber and antioxidants; even the vitamin composition is not excellent.

Often, there is also a lack of food security for hot dogs distributed in fast-food restaurants or street kiosks. In addition to the high concentration of fecal bacteria, hot dog sausages are sometimes responsible for Listeria monocytogenes contamination, namely Listeriosis. If it is true that for a healthy organism it is a not very serious infection, the same cannot be said in the case of an immunodepressed or a pregnant woman: while the former can become seriously ill until death, the latter risks a serious compromise to load of the unborn child.

Then, according to the cited by the AICR ( American Institute for Cancer Research ), consuming a hot dog a day for several years (due to the high content of saturated fats, sodium and preservatives) increases the risk of colorectal cancer by 1, 2%.

WARNING! In the US, 17% of choking cases in children under the age of 10 are caused by hot dogs.